http://www.earthsbest.com/md_corner/dc_feeding_timeline.html

Earth's Best is a line of organic baby foods usually found in natural
food stores.  The website has a "Doctor's Corner" with an OBGYN and a
pediatrician answering questions.

Dr. Harold Raucher of Manhattan, the pediatrician, is asked "How long
should I breastfeed?"  He states,  ". . . the formulas available
today are also quite good and are close imitators of breast milk. I
like to think of breast milk as an A+ or A++ and the formula as an A."

Also, "No one knows how long you must breast feed to get the bulk of
the benefits or when the advantages of breast feeding begin to
decline. The official recommendation of the American Academy of
Pediatrics is for breast feeding until a child reaches one year of
age. While this seems reasonable, there really is very little
scientific data to support this (or any such recommendation). A
recommendation like this one is good in that it gives the message
that breast feeding is indeed beneficial and to be encouraged. Yet,
the other side of the coin is that some mothers who cannot or do not
wish to nurse that long feel even more pressure to continue (or guilt
if they stop) breast feeding."

"I recommend switching to formula in a small number of
circumstances."  [Anyone wondering along with me what the bf rates
are in his practice?]

"Post-partum depression usually necessitates a mother taking
medication (antidepressants). Although new information is being
accumulated, the information we have on antidepressants in breast
milk shows most (if not all) of the traditional drugs are not to be
recommended. I believe that the health of the mother should take
precedence over the desire to breast feed; in this setting I usually
suggest that the mother stop nursing to take care of herself."

I have snipped some of his reply in the interest of brevity.  There
is a "contact us" area on the website.  Let's let them know how Dr.
Raucher's reply undermines breastfeeding - the original earth's best
baby food.

Margaret
Longmont, Colorado

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